💬 10 Notable John Lewis Quotes
Just after John Lewis passed in 2020, Global Citizen published an article by Joe McCarthy “10 John Lewis Quotes That Will Inspire You to Get Into ‘Good Trouble’” that include this list:
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” — Lewis speaking atop the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 1, 2020
“Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet.” ― Lewis on political change in Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change
“Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once. In the movement, we didn’t know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen.” — Lewis on protesting in Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change
“Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.” ― Lewis on movement building in Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” ― Lewis on being human in Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
“I believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that we have an obligation to condemn speech that is racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic, or hateful.” ― Lewis on speech in Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” — Lewis on seeking truth, justice, and equality, during the impeachment trial for US President Donald Trump
“Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.” – Lewis on what he learned from movement building in Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
“A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.” — Lewis on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
“These young people are saying we all have a right to know what is in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and the food we eat. It is our responsibility to leave this planet cleaner and greener. That must be our legacy.” — Lewis on youth climate activists in a statement released in September 2019
Link to full article: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/john-lewis-quotes/
Fun Fact: John Lewis was arrested over 40 times for civil rights activism.
